Young Frank Freeman (14 December 1890 – 5 February 1969) was studio head at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

from 1938 to 1959. Freeman was born in Greenville, Georgia, as the second child and first son of Young Frank Freeman Senior, a cotton farmer and merchant. He graduated from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

in 1910. In addition to his work with Paramount, he also worked in the fields of banking, real estate, higher education, and athletics. He set up a telephone company in

Ocilla, Georgia The city of Ocilla is the county seat of Irwin County, Georgia, Irwin County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,498 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Ocilla is part of the Fitzgerald, Georgia, Fitzg ...

but sold out in 1912 to take over his father's business. He married Margaret Harris in 1913 and after struggling in the cotton industry for three years, they moved to

Fitzgerald, Georgia Fitzgerald is a city in and the county seat of Ben Hill County, Georgia, Ben Hill County in the south central portion of the United States, U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of 2020, its population was 9,006. It is the principal cit ...

where he worked for his father-in-law who owned properties, including the Amusu Theatre. Freeman operated the theatre for six months and gained an interest in the film industry. He joined S.A. Lynch in Atlanta who were building a theater circuit and became general sales manager in 1916. He later moved to New York but returned to Atlanta as vice president and general manager of Southern Enterprises, a theater chain co-owned by Lynch and Paramount. In 1922, Paramount bought out Lynch's theater interests and Freeman joined Lynch's real estate operations in Georgia and Florida. In 1932, he joined Paramount in New York to oversee their real estate holdings. He rose through Paramount's ranks and in 1934 took over their theater operations. In 1935, he was elected vice president in charge of theater operations and by 1938 he had been persuaded to move to Hollywood and had been named vice president in charge of studio operations. He remained in this role until 1959. He retired from Paramount on January 1, 1967. '' Variety'' called him an "effective organizer and administrator, with a reputation of personal and business integrity." His secretary, Alice Marchak, described him as pushy. He was president of the

Association of Motion Picture Producers The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotia ...

from 1940 to 1944 and chairman in 1947–48. He was also chairman of the Motion Picture Research Council and three term campaign chairman and president of the Motion Picture Permanent Charities Committee and also a fundraiser for the

Motion Picture Relief Fund The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as tempo ...

. He was a governor of the

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

and was the first winner of their

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is awarded periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Governors Awards ceremonies for an individual's "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes". Prior to 2009 and ...

in 1957, for his charitable work. He was a member of the board of trustees for

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

for six years after graduation and received a distinguished service medal. He was also a trustee at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. He was also chairman of LA Bureau of the

Federal Reserve Board The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the mo ...

from 1944 to 1947 and deputy chairman in San Francisco in 1954–55. Freeman supported

Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...

in the

1944 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 1944. The election took place during World War II which ended the following year. The History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticke ...

. He was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

on February 8, 1960. He died at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and was buried at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. He and Margaret's son, Y. Frank Freeman Jr., was a movie producer at Paramount during the 1950s but died in 1962.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Y. Frank 1890 births 1969 deaths Georgia Tech alumni American film studio executives Paramount Pictures executives Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners Academy Honorary Award recipients